A class of Russian at a school in Syria

MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. The Russian language is one of the main tools for the implementation of Russia’s strategic foreign policy interests, says a concept of state support and promotion of the Russian language abroad. The document has been signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and posted on the Kremlin website.

"Under current conditions the relevance and the prevalence of the language abroad are an important indicator of the country’s standing and its influence in the world. In this regard, the Russian language should be regarded as one of the mail tools in promoting and implementing Russia’s strategic foreign policy interests," the document says. "Its spread abroad contributes to forming the positive attitude towards Russia in the world community, boosting Russian presence on the international scene. Thus, efforts to support and promote the Russian language abroad are an important part of Russia’s foreign policy."

The concept notes that the work to support and promote the Russian language abroad is long-term and "requires the appropriate resource support." "The current concept is designed to make this work goal-oriented and consistent, which will ultimately make it possible for Russia to step up the use of 'soft power' tools on the international stage," the document says.